The deal behind the deal
Your champion does not buy your product; they sponsor an internal project to buy it. Your job is to arm them: a one-page business case with a number on it, references from lookalike companies, and answers to the objections they will hear in rooms you never enter. Deals with a champion, an economic buyer and a technical evaluator identified close at multiples of the rate of single-threaded ones.
Procurement is a process, not an enemy
Expect security review, legal redlines, privacy assessment and sometimes an AI-governance review. Pre-package the answers: security whitepaper, SOC 2 or ISO certificate, a filled-in standard questionnaire, data-processing agreement and, since this year, an AI Act readiness note. Every document you have ready removes weeks.
Pricing the first deals
Anchor on value, concede on scope, never on unit price. A pilot with a defined success metric, a timeline and a pre-agreed conversion price beats a free proof of concept: free pilots attract projects, paid pilots attract buyers.
FAQ
When is a startup ready for enterprise?
When one segment shows repeatable pull: the same title, at the same kind of company, describing the same pain. Not before.
How long do cycles take?
Three to nine months. Instrument the stages so you learn where deals die; most startups discover it is security review, which is fixable in advance.
Discount for logos?
Trade, do not discount: reference rights, case study, roadmap input. A lighthouse logo at a fair price is worth ten silent discounts.